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Biography
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Born 1932 in Itta Bena,
Mississippi,
Pervis Spann
has distinguished himself as a premier radio broadcaster and successful talent promoter. He
has been responsible for promoting and exposing
generations to the
blues, past, present and
future.
Pervis was a
hard worker from a very young age. He cared for his ailing mother
after she suffered a stroke. And at the age 14, he managed a local
all black theater, the Dixie Theater, in Mississippi. In
1949, he moved with his
mother and sister to Battle Creek,
Michigan. Pervis eventually left Michigan and moved to
find work in Gary,
Indiana.
Previs
is an Army veteran from the
Korean War era.
After completing his tour of duty, he moved to
Chicago, the windy city, and made it his
home. Pervis became interested in broadcasting and attended the
Midway Television Institute and the Midwestern Broadcasting School on the G.I. Bill.
In the 1950's, Pervis was
given a four hour overnight time slot on WOPA. In 1960, he organized his
first concert, showcasing
the legendary B.B. King
and Junior Parker. In
1963, brothers Phil and Leonard
Chess bought the radio station, which then became WVON,
a twenty four hour blues station.
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Pervis became the "all night blues man."
He gained notoriety with an on air eighty seven hour "sleepless sit in,"
to raise money for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Pervis widened his sphere of influence during the 1960's and began managing
and booking talented performers such as B.B. King, the Jackson 5 and
Aretha Franklin. Pervis also
owned several clubs on Chicago's south side, including the Burning Spear.
In
1975, WVON was sold and had
numerous changes during that time. Pervis formed a business
alliance with Journalist
Vernon Jarrett and
Talk Show Host Wesley South,
and bought
the license to the original radio frequency in 1979. Listners to the new station, WXOL, heard an all blues format and many of
the same voices from the old WVON. The station reclaimed
its original call letters WVON in
1983.
In the 1980's, Pervis added another station to his radio empire, WXSS in
Memphis, Tenn. He later sold the station to focus
his attention on building WVON in Chicago with his daughter,
Melody Spann-Cooper. He
tirelessly continues his career promoting the blues as the co-host of the popular
cable show "Blues and More" on channel 25 in Chicago. He
also promotes the blues and his historic writings through the organization
that he started "The National Academy of the Blues, Inc.
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